Ajam – Sanam Bia (Official Video)

Music and Arrangement: Amin Ajami, Nariman Akrami, Erfan Shaho

Lyrics: Amin Ajami and Traditional Kurdish

Director: Khashayar Atefi

Cinematographer: Hamed Hashemi

عجم – صنم بيا

از آلبوم “رگ و ريشه”

تنظيم و ملودی: امین عجمی، نریمان اکرمی، آرش فیاضی و عرفان شاهو

شعر: امين عجمى و محلی کردی

کارگردان: خشایار عاطفی

تصویربردار: حامد هاشمی

You can download the video from here

‘Sanam Bia’ [translated: Come O idol!] is a contemporary take on different types of popular lamentations and musings that can be found in various spiritual traditions across Iran and its neighbouring cultures. The notion of a ‘Sanam’ [idol] can be related to many different facets and facades of existence, but the underlying understanding is that everything is contained within one unity that emcompasses all that exists; both within and beyond the realms of human comprehension.

Musically, ‘Sanam Bia’ draws strong influence from the music of the foothills of the Zagros Mountains, Northern Mesopotamia and Eastern Anatolia and borrows heavily from the Kurdish, Laki and Feyli musical palette. The Daf, Tanbur and Choral Chanting which are utilised in this track are prominent features of the spiritual music of Western Iran. The spoken tone vocals take inspiration from urbanised elements of Sufi tradition that incorporate public storytelling and lamentations that can be loosely associated with Qalandari and Naghali rhythmic poetry performances.

The music video, Directed by Khashayar Atefi, is predominantly filmed in the foothills of the Alborz Mountains in the Shemiranat region of Northern Tehran and takes a route from the traditional district of EmamZadeh Ghasem through to the opulent modernised areas of Elahieh before reaching an abandoned factory at the outer peripheries of the Capital. The video features a range of garments and fashions, from contemporary designs by Maysa Mellatkhah which incorporates the Ajam Logo, to the traditional Darvish dress of Ajam’s good friend Ramtin Haghani (Mohabat Ali Shah).